


Dark As The Days Come

by KasSgr4y



Category: CrankGameplays - Fandom, Darkiplier - Fandom, Unus Annus - Fandom, ethan nestor - Fandom, mark fischbach - Fandom, markiplier - Fandom
Genre: Anxiety Attacks, Blood and Injury, Blood and Torture, Blood and Violence, Dark Darkiplier (Markiplier TV), Darkiplier - Freeform, Depression, Ethan Nestor - Freeform, Ethan Nestor Needs a Hug, Evil Darkiplier (Markiplier TV), Hurt Ethan Nestor, Hurt/Comfort, I Don't Even Know, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Insecurity, Insomnia, M/M, No Character Death, Panic Attacks, Platonic Relationships, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Mark Fischbach, Psychological Torture, Rape/Non-con Elements, Stalking, Supernatural Elements, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-21 16:07:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30024315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KasSgr4y/pseuds/KasSgr4y
Summary: Something has been stalking Ethan for weeks. An Unus Annus Video gone wrong plunges Ethan into a world of terror and suffering...of course Mark doesn't know that.
Relationships: Darkiplier (Markiplier TV)/Ethan Nestor, Mark Fischbach/Ethan Nestor
Kudos: 17





	Dark As The Days Come

**Haha i haven't slept properly for 3 days so my apologies if there's a few errors, im trying my best. Please leave a comment if you want. Stay Safe and Drink some water Y'all! Peace!!**

**A/N: In this, Dark has a separate body from mark, he is still a part of mark but does not share a physical form with him.**

Ethan couldn’t quite remember when it started. The shadows crept up the corners of his walls like fingers dancing in the dark. He used to enjoy the feeling of collapsing into a warm bed after a hard day working but now everything just felt so…off. He wasn’t quite sure what it was exactly but there was something. There was a strange feeling that hovered over him even in his deepest sleep, like something was watching him.

He knew it was irrational. That someone…something was watching him from the shadows. Yet, no matter how hard he tried to push the feeling back it never left. It was like the shadows themselves were after him and that terrified him. Every childhood monster was born of shadows, everyone knew that, but these monsters were meant to stay in childhood, not haunt adults. And yet here he was, a grown ass 23 year old practically on the verge of a panic attack everytime he turned the light off. Sciophobia. That’s what it’s called, The fear of shadows…the _irrational_ fear of shadows. And that all it was, irrational, right?

Night seemed to slip away from him and soon the tired, dark circles set in. It was a Friday morning… 6:45AM… And Ethan lay awake in his bedroom watching as the first rays of light peaked through the windows and dispelled the shadows. He was tired. Exhausted even, but he knew he had things to do so he took a deep breath and pulled the covers off, exposing himself to the cool air. The lights flicked on and Ethan felt like he could actually finally breath. Stumbling to the bathroom he froze, staring at himself in the mirror. His once form fitting shirt hung slightly loose on his frame, much of the muscle he had worked hard to gain had all but disintegrated from his lack of sleep and exhaustion. His once bright blue eyes dulled to a stormy gray. Dark circles hung under his eyes like stones, weighing him down, a dark reminder of the sleep he’s lacking. Sighing once again he turned, dragging himself through the shower and towards his kitchen.

It was nearly midday when Ethan finished up his morning filming and dog walking routine. The dawn light had almost completely dispelled the darkness that the night brought. A few shadows still clung like spiders to the deepest corners of his walls but they came so few and far between that that barely bothered him. Filming always helped take the edge off so that’s what he spent his morning doing, sitting in his desk chair with his hue lights as bright as they could go because god forbid he let the darkness in. The first video was stiff, on edge, but he soon found himself letting himself go to the excitement of the game and he let loose, allowing the fun, charismatic version of himself free. But the prickling feeling never left and the hairs on the back of his neck never relaxed. Midday rolled around before he even realised and he found himself at marks. They had scheduled the afternoon for recording time a couple of days ago and now here he was.

“Ethan, You with me?” a hand waving in front of his face and a gentle voice brought him back into the world. Mark was kneeling in front of him, a small but concerned smile painting his face. Ethan was confused. He could feel the soft comfort of marks couch behind his back and a warm hand grasping his but he couldn’t remember how he got here . Everything blacked out the minute he stepped over the threshold of marks house.

Mark was worried to say the least. The minute he opened the door for Ethan he knew something was wrong. He had a distant look in his eyes, like he was there but not.

“Hey buddy, come in” he put on his joking voice trying to bring the boy back into the real word but the smile faded from his face when he got no reaction. Ethan just stared at the wall behind Mark with the same distant, exhausted look in his eyes as he stepped over the threshold. Gently, Mark grasped a hand around Ethan’s wrist, leading him to the couch and encouraging him to sit down which ended up with him being gently pushed because gestures and words weren’t working right now.

Slowly, Mark lowered himself to his knees, still grasping onto Ethan’s hand hoping that the physical connection might bring Ethan into the real world again. Mark wasn’t stupid, he knew what was going on, a side effect of Ethan’s ADHD mixed with a clear lack of sleep had forced him into a dissociative episode.

“Mark? What’s going on, is Ethan okay?” Amy rounded the corner with the rest of the props for the first video to find the two boys facing each other, mark clearly comforting the other.

“i-uh, I think he’s having a dissociative episode” Amy was by his side in an instant, the props forgotten on the counter, grabbing Ethan’s other hand and whispering comforting words into his ear regardless of whether he could actually hear her or not. The boys eyes slipped closed but his stature remained, a sign that he was trying to make himself aware of the situation. Mark and Amy continued to whisper sweet nothings into his ears… his fingers twitched. A small whimper escaped his throat.

“Ethan, you with me?” And he was back, his eyes opened slowly and he took a deep breath, finally registering his surroundings. Confusion and embarrassment clear on his face.

“W-what…uh, what happened?” His voice was quiet, slurred, but mark and Amy’s reassuring smiles helped his pumping heart settle.

“You had another episode bud, you alright?” Mark still had a gentle hold of Ethan’s hand rubbing small circles over his knuckles and he vaguely registered Amy rubbing small circles on his back, almost as if they were afraid he might slip away again.

“Yeah, no, im fine just confused” he blinked trying to expel the fogginess from his mind.

“Understandable, let’s get you some water and food yeah?” Amy stood up, squeezing his shoulder encouragingly before disappearing into the kitchen to grab Ethan something to drink.

The concerned look never left marks face as he settled onto the couch next to Ethan, he studied the younger boy curiously. The dark circles under Ethan’s eyes alongside the near consistent shake that never quite left his frame worried him endlessly. Something was very wrong and it went beyond the episode mark had originally thought it was. But what?

Once Ethan was feeling slightly more settled, the two men began their day of filming, mark pushed the worry to the back of his mind, it did neither of them any good caught up in worry or fear.

The day of filming pushed on and the two practically forgot that morning ever happened. By late afternoon the two had filmed 3 hilarious videos and were practically buzzing with joy at he way they had turned out, their lungs aches from laughing so hard. The last video of the day was a slightly different type of video. Mark had planned it a little while ago without telling Ethan and he was generally quite exited to see how Ethan would react.

So Ethan found himself standing in marks recording office alone, as instructed by Mark. The lights were off, the only indication that he wasn’t in a black void was the constant blinking of the camera. The atmosphere was deadly silent and to say Ethan wasn’t the slightest bit scared would be a huge understatement. Of course he was terrified, the countless nights of fearing the dark shadows clinging to his every move and planted a deep seed of fear into Ethan’s heart and mind, so yeah, of course he was terrified. But he couldn’t tell mark that, so he didn’t, and now here he was…standing alone in the dark, waiting for whatever undoubtedly cruel joke mark was going to play on him. Anything for content right.

“Eeethan” a gruff voice erupted from the darkness making Ethan jump surprise, stepping back slightly.

“Mark?” He called out quietly once he caught his breath.

“ah ah ah, think again” the voice was deep, so similar to Marks and yet so different. Ethan swallowed harshly as marks game dawned on him.

“Dark” It wasn’t a question this time. Dark laughed, a cruel humourless laugh.

“well done, you figured it out” Ethan spun around squinting into the shadows as Darks breath fanned down the back of his neck, his breathing picking up slightly. Ethan wasn’t as clueless as the audience, He knew dark existed as an entity outside of mark, that he want just some fake person Mark played out for a bit…That he was dangerous. It was the very reason that mark kept him confined to his computer… so the question remained, why would he let him out? Why in the cover of a completely dark room? And why alone with Ethan? His thoughts were quickly cut off by a cold finger dragging down his spine before clasping both of Ethan’s wrist tightly in one of his hands as a thick arm wrapped around his throat making him whimper as he tried to pull away, but Dark was stronger and taller so the effort was fruitless

“My My, what have we got here” Dark chuckled, his black eyes raking up and down Ethan’s slender body, taking in the way the boy shuddered and flinched against his grip, a sick smile twisted onto his face. “Its not every day Mark allows me to stretch my legs. And to be greeted with such a fine plaything…” Ethan squeezed his eyes shut in pain as Darks sharp claws dragged along his chest, no doubt deep enough to breath the skin.

“Let me go” He tried to keep his voice steady, demanding, but Dark merely laughed, tugging at Ethan’s wrists more, chuckling at the pained whimpers that left the boy.

“Now what fun would that be, hm? I haven’t even started yet…Besides, you have no idea how long I’ve waited to get my hands on you”

Ethan's breath hitched and his eyes widened. He stilled, taking in the words that spilled from darks lips. Panic swelled up in his stomach and his breathing became laboured. “You…” It was barely a whisper, so quiet he wasn’t quite sure if he had ever actually said anything but Darks tightening grip as he pulled Ethan back into him further proved that he had heard.

“I wondered how long it would take you to realise” Ethan felt sick. Clenching his eyes shit as a few hot tears spilled down his porcelain cheeks. Fan-Fucking-Tastic. Not only has he been being stalked in his own home but it’s just had to be by Darkiplier Himself. Hell, He would have taken Ted Bundy over Dark. “I guess this just means I can speed up my plans a little sooner than I had originally planned…you know, Skip the ‘Foreplay’ so to say” Darks Tone was Vile, Warped. Ethan could practically feel the Demon Smirking, a wicked smile stretching along is face. At Darks words Ethan Began his thrashing again, opening his mouth to yell for mark help when a gray tinted hand wrapped around his moth, silencing his plea.

Dark revelled in the silent cries that the boy let out as he tugged against Dark grip. Sick fantasies tumbled into his mind at the thought of Ethan writhing underneath him and his hand once again found Ethan’s throat. In a mere few seconds Dark had Ethan pinned against the wall, his calloused hand wrapped harshly around Ethan’s small neck, Watching with pleasure as Ethan writhed and squirmed under his hand struggling for desperate breaths of air.

The time ticked by slowly as the younger boys desperate writhing slowed, his arms going limp and his eyes slipping shut. Dark smiled, a savage, unhinged smile as he watched Ethan struggle to regain his lost breaths even in his unconscious state. His eyes trailed to the small timer on the camera. 4:43. His five minutes was almost up. He grinned once more at the boy he had so easily overpowered, stepping back before disintegrating into the shadows from whence he came.

When Mark entered the filming room he automatically noticed that Dark had left and a relieved feeling spread in his stomach. He had been worried that the demon wouldn’t stick to his end of the bargain but it seem as if he had. The second thing he noticed was the distinct lack of noise coming from his counterpart. He had expected a freaked out Ethan to come barrelling up to him demanding why he thought this was a good idea. But he was met with silence. His eyebrows furrowed as he reached for the light switch, flicking it on. And then he wished he hadn’t. Directly in front of him lay Ethan, unconscious, His cheeks stained with tears and trembling. Without hesitation Mark beelined for Ethan, cradling Ethan’s body to his chest as he felt out Ethan’s pulse points, relieved when his pulse came back strong. His eyes raked over Ethan as he desperately tries to come up with a reason for his friends unconsciousness. Something caught his eye and his attention flicked to Ethan’s neck. Gently he pulled the neck of his hoodie down slightly, his eyes tearing up at the sight. A Thick, angry red line framed the centre of his neck, looking suspiciously like handprints. There was no doubt in his mind what Dark had done, the slight dent in the wall above Ethan paired with the bruising handprint filled him with intense Anger and guilt. Dark had hurt Ethan and it was Marks fault. How stupid could he be, to let a demon alone with the younger boy for the sake of a stupid YouTube video that wouldn’t even be able to be posted now?

Letting his tears fall, he gently scooped Ethan up, turning to carry him down into the living room where Amy was waiting. He knew he was going to get an earful from the girl but at this point he knew he deserved it. He rounded the corner off the stairs with Ethan dangling unconscious in his arms. Amy’s head snapped up to meet his eyes, a wide simile on her face that quickly dissipated seeing Marks puffy red rimmed eyes before trailing down to Ethan’s body clutched desperately to his chest. An audible gasp left her lips and she was off the couch in an instant, rushing to help mark lay him down.

“Mark, What happened!” anger seeped into he voice in a way Mark had never heard from her before. He swallowed hard, daring to meet her eyes.

“Um, you remember my idea involving dark” He shrunk in on himself as Amy’s glare somehow became even more steely but she said nothing, willing him to continue on the hopes that what she was hearing was no true. “Well, We did it. And dark didn’t hold up his end of the bargain… God Amy I was so stupid! Why the fuck did I let that psychopath near him! He’s dangerous enough alone and I just thrust Ethan in front of him like some sort of sacrifice! God Amy he’s Never going to forgive me!” By the time mark stopped rambling, tears were flowing freely as he gripped onto Ethan’s hand. A steady, firm hand cupped his cheek and his eyes tailed to meat Amy’s determined glare. A harsh breath left her as she flicked between his two eyes before deciding on what to say.

“Im not going to tell you that its okay Mark, because its not” her tone wasn’t angry, disappointed maybe, but not angry. For a moment Mark wished she was angry, he didn’t like disappointed Amy. “I told you it was a bad idea when you first thought of it and I have absolutely no idea why you thought now was a good time to do it. He was already exhausted from his episode this morning on top of filming, what made you think he could handle Dark as well? It was a stupid decision on your part and you’re going to have to accept that and learn from it. I cant imagine the guilt your feeling And im sorry you have to carry that but we both need to be there for Ethan now. I don’t care what he says, he’s not okay, he hasn’t been for weeks. Just promise me you’ll ease up on him, even in bits.” Here tone was eerily calm throughout the whole lecture, though her words held little comfort, something about the way she said them eased a weight in marks heart and he found his eyes drifting back to Ethan’s still face. He had to be better…for himself and for Ethan. So he took a deep breath nodding with determination promising himself he wouldn’t let anything happen to Ethan ever again.

Then again, Markiplier wasn’t really known for holding up his promises.


End file.
